Chinese hackers gained acces to one of the most heavenly guarded databases in the US and obtained everything stored on its systems. The stolen data includes information regarding the interests of many US businesses and trade associations, according to information just released by the US Chamber of Commerce. more ›

A few links to start off your day: more ›

Just one day after we questioned what kind of evidence Jon Huntsman had when he claimed the Chinese government was behind a swath of cyber attacks directed at the United States, the Falun Gong mouthpiece Epoch Times caught a glimpse of a hacking program inadvertently shown in a CCTV military documentary. Could this be an example of the definitive proof we've all been waiting for? more ›

Former US Ambassador to China, current presidential candidate, and unwitting Jasmine Revolution supporter Jon Huntsman was interviewed on ABC last night on a variety of policy points and opinions such as just how crazy he thinks factions of the GOP really are. In a nod to his former post, one of the last questions asked by the interviewer regarded whether Huntsman thought the Chinese government was behind the impressive and sophisticated cyber attacks that targeted multinational corporations like Google, various world governments, the UN and even the White House. more ›

In a cyber attack recently uncovered by McAfee Security, 72 organizations across the world were targeted for periods of up to five years in an attack being described by some as the largest of its kind. Dubbed "Operation Shady RAT", targets of the attack included multinational corporations, tech companies, defense contractors, the UN, and various governments. Many believe only a "state actor" could be behind the attacks, and while few are naming names outright, fingers, as always, are eager to point at China. Why, you ask? Well, the targeting of multiple Asian countries and ASEAN were the first clues. But the dead giveaway was the hacking into the Olympics committees of multiple countries preceding the Beijing Olympics. Really, China, you should have known better. What other country on earth with that kind of espionage power would direct it at international sports bodies? more ›

Never ever mess with a man married to a Chinese tiger wife. Earlier today, as Rupert Murdoch and his son sat before British members of parliament for a good grilling over the phone-hacking saga, a protestor interrupted the hearing by attempting to hit Murdoch senior with a paper plate of shaving foam. Fortunately Wendi Deng's lightning reflexes allowed her to protect her husband before a policeman was brought in to restore calm. more ›

If anyone is keeping count, go on and add another tally under "mishaps between Google and China." Google officials announced today that hundreds of Gmail accounts were recently hijacked by hackers, primarily victimizing U.S. government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in other Asian countries, military personnel, journalists and others. more ›

Apparently, now the FBI is getting involved to see who began issuing the DDOS attacks against Change.org after it put up a petition in support of Ai Weiwei. From the more ›

In a laundry list of accomplishments dated Tuesday, the government said it arrested 469 hackers, resolved 180 cases of computer crimes, and closed down 14 websites as part of a move to clamp down on hacking in China. more ›

So what's an outraged Chinese patriot to do? Well, some overzealous netizens thought hacking Japanese government websites was the way to go but ended up inadvertently as victims of a hacking scam. more ›

So they didn't do this just because of the China problem, but it'll certainly help anyone who thinks they were targeted by hackers here: Google released yesterday a new Gmail feature that notifies you when they detect a suspicious login on your account. Now, if something unusual seems to be going on, it'll alert you with a warning message on the top of your inbox saying "Warning: We believe your account was last accessed from... [location]" By clicking details, you can see last account activity and the most recent access points. Handy! more ›

"As I speak to you today, government censors somewhere are working furiously to erase my words from the records of history." more ›

• Says James Fallows, even if Google decides to remain in China, they are not "vacillating cowards" - there's a chance for a win-win-win outcome here and the ongoing talks seem like maybe, just maybe it'll actually happen. [The Atlantic]
• Richard Burger agrees, and adds this poignant quote from people who've left China long enough to know how much the government doesn't trust them: "I love my country, but my country doesn't love me." [Peking Duck]
• The U.S. has had multiple meetings with Chinese authorities over internet freedom, which it views as an "universal right that should be available to all people." [Reuters]

• Probe into collective air ticket price hike urged [China Daily] “Chinese consumer-right groups and law scholars Friday urged authorities to investigate into a collective price hikes by major airlines, which they suspected to be a violation of the Anti-monopoly Law. The Beijing Consumers Association, the Beijing Consumer Protection Law Society, the Beijing society on industry and business administration and the civil and commercial laws research center under the Beijing-based Renmin University expressed their concern over the controversial price hikes in a joint statement. "The pricing mechanism agreed by domestic airliners has led to an average rise of 10 percent in price of air tickets."

Hot off the press: a CNN-affiliated website The Sports Network (also http://sport.si.cnn.com) has just been hacked by a group called HackCNN, and this was the message placed by the hackers on the website:
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We are not against the western people, but against the prejudice from the western society.Since its founding a few weeks ago, the website has received a huge number of hits and has been featured in China Daily (under the headline "CNN: What's wrong with you?"). The reasons for the hacking remain unclear but those behind the website (reportedly university students) have apparently enlisted the help of Sohu to help them track down those responsible. more ›